Authenticity Over Polish: Leanne Bridges on Building Trust in Business Consulting

In a recent LinkedIn post, Leanne Bridges explores the critical role of authenticity in professional services, sharing a personal anecdote about how trying to be overly “corporate” nearly jeopardized a new role. Bridges, a seasoned consultant with 32 years of experience and a track record of working with 150 businesses, argues that genuine connection and practical support often outweigh a polished, distant demeanor when it comes to client relationships and team performance.

The Pitfalls of Perceived Professionalism

Bridges recounts an experience early in her career where she felt compelled to adopt a more “polished” and “corporate” persona after starting a new job. This shift, intended to align with her perception of how someone in that role should behave, had unintended negative consequences. She describes how this change impacted her team interactions:

Something in me decided I should be more “corporate.” More polished. More like what I thought someone in that role was supposed to be.

The situation escalated to the point where her boss had to address team dynamics. Bridges realized that her attempt to be someone she wasn’t was creating friction. As she notes, the team members “weren’t enjoying working with me.” This realization led her to revert to her authentic self, after which relationships improved, and the job became easier.

Authenticity as a Consulting Advantage

Drawing from this experience, Bridges extends her observations to the broader consulting and coaching industry. She suggests that many business owners are weary of consultants who present a veneer of certainty without deep understanding or genuine empathy. According to Bridges, clients can discern sincerity:

People can tell when someone’s being straight with them, and when they actually care about the results you get.

Bridges emphasizes that her value proposition lies not in being the “cleverest person” but in being a supportive, practical, and approachable partner. She highlights her commitment to clients’ outcomes, stating:

I’ll be over the moon when you get a result. I’ll be gutted for you when you don’t.

This level of emotional investment and transparency, in Bridges’s view, fosters stronger working relationships and ultimately leads to better results. She positions herself as someone “always in it with my clients,” a sentiment backed by her extensive experience.

Unlocking Team Potential Through Genuine Partnership

Bridges concludes her post by inviting engagement from business leaders who believe their teams have untapped potential. She offers her expertise to help develop strategies for improvement, reinforcing her core philosophy that genuine connection and shared commitment are fundamental to unlocking performance.

Her insights suggest that in the competitive landscape of business services, a leader’s ability to be genuinely themselves, coupled with a deep commitment to client success, is a powerful differentiator. As Bridges puts it:

The most useful thing I do isn’t being the cleverest person. It’s being someone who’s supportive, practical, and good to work with.

This perspective challenges the notion that a purely formal or “polished” approach is always the most effective, advocating instead for a more human-centered and authentic method of professional engagement.